Many Returns of the Day
by Djinn1
Summary: Happy Birthday to trekfan-written specially for her. It's super-duper fluffy but hopefully will bring a smile! Big shoutout to my regular betas, Harmony Bites and DC Lady for the fast turnaround on this and the great betas on everything!


Many Returns of the Day by Djinn

Kirk walked down the corridor toward Chapel's quarters—at least he hoped she was still in them. It would be damned awkward if Bones had taken them. He rang for admittance, was very happy to see her answer.

"Ah, the man who demoted me." She smiled but the expression was a wary one. "Should I beware captains bearing gifts?"

He looked down at the package in his hand. "No. Well, yes. Let me in so we can talk."

"Oh, the 'we need to talk' moment." She sighed. Loudly. But she moved and let him in.

"Come here. It's more the we 'need to kiss' moment." He pulled her to him, laughing at her expression. "I think you like this moment."

"You're right, I think I do." She relaxed in his arms, let him kiss her and kissed him back in equal measure. "So, I take it the talk is not the 'I can't sleep with someone on my crew' talk?"

"Well, it might be that if sex was all we had. But I happen to love you, so no, it's not that talk."

"You love me?"

He nodded, grinning at her expression. "I wasn't going to tell you that if you were shipping out for five years. But now I'm staying—Nogura is letting me keep the _Enterprise_—so we're shipping out together..."

"Ah. So..." She pulled him back to her and kissed him very, very thoroughly—he loved a lot of things about her, but her lips were definitely near the top of the list. "Wait, there's more to this, isn't there?"

"Bones is staying, too."

"And not, I guess, as my deputy?" She was laughing. "I love how you kiss me first and then demote me."

"I already demoted you. Now I'm just making it permanent. You get to keep your rank—I got busted back to captain."

"Like you mind." She pulled him further into her quarters. "So what's the present for?"

"V'ger upped the timetable or we'd be back on Earth. At a very nice restaurant in Barcelona or Bangkok."

"Somewhere that started with B? Buenos Aires. Belmopan. Beijing."

"You've passed your geography quiz. The fancy dinner will have to wait, but I have not forgotten that it is your birthday, so I wanted to celebrate it."

"Awwww. You could be playing chess with Spock or knocking back whiskeys with Len."

"True. But I'd rather be watching you open this." He grinned as he handed her the gift. She'd admired the necklace inside during one of their frequent trips to—well, wherever the hell they felt like. They both had credits up the yin yang.

She sat down on the bed and gently slipped off the wrapping.

"You are not going to re-use that wrapping paper." He started to laugh. "Chris, please, give it to me, and I will put it in the recycler."

"It's perfectly good." She did put it aside and didn't say anything when he grabbed it. She opened the box slowly, as if she was delaying the surprise. "Oh my God. You didn't." She looked up at him, really seemed a little bit stunned. "Jim, this was outrageously expensive."

"Yep, it sure was. Nothing's too good for my girl. Especially if it helps make her less mad at me for the demotion—I don't want you to tell me to go elsewhere for sex."

"When have I ever told you to go elsewhere?"

"When have I demoted you?"

"True." She narrowed her eyes as if assessing his chances of having his way with her. When he made a pleading face, she pulled him down to the bed. "Put this on me."

"And then I'm going to take everything else off you." He took the necklace from her and fastened it around her neck, then turned her so he could see. The periwinkle of the tanzanites set in white gold made her eyes look even bluer. "Gorgeous." He eased her top off. "You and the necklace."

She laughed and leaned back so he could get her pants off with a minimum of effort. Then he had her underthings off, and was easing her back, posing her like she was his full-grown doll.

"You realize I haven't seen the damn thing on me."

"Details."

"Jim. Can I see my goddamned present?"

"Fine. Hand mirror?"

"In the bathroom." She stretched, rather deliberately making areas she knew he loved come into prominence. "Hurry it up."

He took the wrapping paper, tossed it into the recycler to her half-hearted protests of "That really could be used again," and grabbed the mirror from the bathroom.

He held it for her and she said, "I can see my boobs, not the necklace." She wrestled the mirror from him with a look of mock disapproval. "I know where your priorities are."

"They are, as ever, exactly where they should be." He shucked his clothes off and snuggled in next to her. "What do you think?"

"I think it's amazing. Thank you."

"Happy birthday, Chris. To many more birthdays spent with me."

"As your on-ship girl?"

"As my on-ship love."

"Mmmmm, Captain Kirk, never let it be said you don't say exactly the right thing at the right time."

"I can _do_ the right thing at the right time, too. Consider this another birthday gift." He kissed his way down her body.

She was writhing in no time, lay breathing hard, then pulled him up for a kiss. "Happy goddamn birthday to me."

"Yes indeedy." He nuzzled her neck. "I was going to miss you so much. I really like how this turned out. Demotions not withstanding."

"I like it, too." She tilted her head to give him better access.

"Spock to Kirk."

She looked at him and frowned. "Really? You're off duty. Tell him that."

"I have no intention of ditching you for him." He reached over to her comm terminal. "Kirk here, Spock."

"I was wondering if you wished to play chess tonight, Jim."

Chris was laughing silently as she kissed her way down his body, began to lick and suck and—oh holy God. "Spock... I'd love to...but I'm tied up...tonight. Maybe tomorrow?"

"Of course." There was a long pause, and it was clear Spock had not cut the connection "Jim, as you know Vulcan hearing is much more acute than human."

Chris stopped sucking and began to laugh silently, her shoulders shaking.

"I trust you are not literally tied up?"

"No. No. Just a figure of speech."

"Ah, then I shall say goodnight. Give Doctor Chapel my best."

This time it was Kirk who didn't cut the connection. He looked at Chris, and she shook her head in an "I didn't tell him" way.

"Umm, sure will. Kirk out."

She started to laugh for real. "Did he see you coming in here?"

"He must have. Unless he knows how you sound when you're...down there. He doesn't know that, does he?"

She slugged him in the arm. "No, he doesn't know that. He must have seen you. Oh well, it's not a secret we're together, right?"

"Nope. I just didn't expect him to be the first one to catch on."

"Maybe he was giving us his blessing. No harm, no foul kind of thing." She pushed him back down. "Now, do you want me to finish what I was doing or not?"

"Oh, yes, please." Before she could move, he reached out, touched her cheek, and let his fingers trail down to the necklace. "It's perfect for you. I knew it would be when we saw it."

"I love it. Thank you." She kissed him. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Then he raised his eyebrows and let his gaze go south.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She took her goddamned time traveling back down to his groin.

It only made it all the sweeter when she finally got there.

FIN


End file.
